Home Sports NBA fines Grizzlies’ Ja Morant $75,000 for continued finger-gun gestures, after warning him to stop
Sports

NBA fines Grizzlies’ Ja Morant $75,000 for continued finger-gun gestures, after warning him to stop

Share
Share

Ja Morant showed off an imaginary gun. The NBA hit back with a real fine.

A day after Morant again used his aiming-a-gun gesture to celebrate making 3-pointers, the Grizzlies’ star was fined $75,000 by the league Friday. It’s the second time this week that Morant — who was suspended twice in 2023 for incidents with actual weapons — heard from the league about mimicking the act of using a gun during a game.

The league called the gesture “inappropriate,” adding that “Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.”

The first interaction with the league office resulted in that warning, after Morant and Golden State’s Buddy Hield made the gesture at one another during a Grizzlies-Warriors game on Tuesday. The warning from the league office was evidently ignored, since Morant made similar gestures in Thursday’s game.

The NBA said it happened twice, though it appeared to have happened after all three of his made 3-pointers. The third instance was not shown on the TNT broadcast of the game.

Morant and other members of the Grizzlies have used the gun gesture numerous times this season, including during Thursday night’s game at Miami. Morant made a 3-pointer in the first quarter of that game, then turned toward the Memphis bench with his left arm fully extended, his right thumb pointed in the air and his index and middle fingers pressed together.

The other gestures were similar, again directed toward Memphis teammates.

The two suspensions in 2023 cost Morant 33 games and about $8.3 million in salary. The first was an eight-game ban for the live streaming of a video in which he displayed a firearm while in an intoxicated state at a Denver-area nightclub.

The other was a 25-game ban after posing with a firearm in a car during another live-streamed video, when the league said Morant “wielded the firearm while knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live, despite having made commitments to the NBA and public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined.”

Asked Thursday — after he made a game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift Memphis over Miami — about the criticism, Morant said he is “well aware” of what gets said about him.

“I’m kind of used to it,” Morant said. “I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. So, yeah. I don’t care no more.”

The Grizzlies next play Saturday at Detroit.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Share

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Latest News

Related Articles
Sports

‘Time to say goodbye’: Kevin De Bruyne to leave Man City

Kevin De Bruyne has announced he will leave Manchester City – bringing...

Sports

Auburn’s Pearl and St. John’s’ Pitino share AP coach of the year honors, 1st tie in history of award

Bruce Pearl has turned Auburn into a basketball school and may have...

Sports

Gretzky set to be at Blackhawks-Capitals game with Ovechkin 3 goals from breaking his NHL record

Wayne Gretzky is expected to be in attendance Friday night in Washington...

Sports

Travis Hunter is skipping workouts at Colorado’s pro day

Two-way star Travis Hunter apparently has decided to skip Colorado’s pro day...

About Us

Founded by Francesca Perez in Miami in 2022, A BIT LAVISH is your go-to source for luxury living insights. Covering yachts, boats, real estate, health, and news, we bring you the best of Miami's vibrant lifestyle. Discover more with Miami's Magazine.

Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates and articles directly to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Copyright © 2024 ABIT LAVISH. Miami's Magazine Est. 2022, All rights reserved.

Legal Notice: At A Bit Lavish, we pride ourselves on maintaining high standards of originality and respect for intellectual property. We encourage our audience to uphold these values by refraining from unauthorized copying or reproduction of any content, logo, or branding material from our website. Each piece of content, image, and design is created with care and protected under copyright law. Please enjoy and share responsibly to help us maintain the integrity of our brand. For inquiries on usage or collaborations, feel free to reach out to us +1 305.332.1942.

Translate »